Exciter for red luminescent projectile

ABSTRACT

An exciter is adaptable for use with airsoft guns to excite red tracer BBs. The exciter comprises a tube and an adapter for coupling said tube to the muzzle of the guns. The exciter also comprises a blue tracer light source supported adjacent said tube. The light source being arranged to emit light into said tube.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This non-provisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) on Patent Application No(s). 111105471 filed in Taiwan, Republic of China on Feb. 15, 2022, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

PRIOR ART

Tracer units can often be seen when playing MilSim games. It can excite green tracer BBs (i.e., luminescent projectile, or glow-in-the-dark BBs which are coated in phosphor) with ultraviolet rich light when BBs pass through the interior of tracer unit, so that the tracer BBs continue to glow for a short period of time after leaving the tracer unit. Tracer units for airsoft guns are well known in the art and include those described in detail in U.S. pat. US11215419B2, and sold by ACETECH (since 2015), incorporated herein by reference.

However, to excite red tracer BBs, tracer units need to have white light sources. Light sources which work best with green tracer BBs usually are not that good with red tracer BBs. Different tracer colors require different light sources. Although there are tracer units that work with both green and red tracer BBs. For example, the Lighter R from ACETECH. But they do it by having two different kinds of light sources, which waste unnecessary energy.

Furthermore, adding a switch for changing modes between green and red (and then using light sources between ultraviolet rich light and white light, e.g., Lighter BT from ACETECH) results in a poor user experience because the user must remember to switch between modes and cannot use green and red tracer BBs within the same magazine.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an exciter adaptable for use with airsoft guns, and more particularly to an exciter for both red and green tracer BBs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a different kind of light source: a blue light source, to excite red or green tracer BBs when tracer BBs pass through the interior of tracer units, so that the tracer BBs continue to glow for a short period of time after leaving the tracer units.

In some embodiments, an exciter is adaptable for use with airsoft guns to excite red tracer BBs to glow. The exciter comprises a tube, an adapter for coupling said tube to the muzzle of airsoft gun, and a tracer light source supported adjacent said tube and arranged to emit light into said tube. The light source emits a peak wavelength in the range 430 nm to 480 nm.

In another embodiment, an exciter adaptable for use with airsoft guns to excite tracer projectiles to glow. The exciter comprises an internal passage disposed through the exciter; a detector coupled to a controller and configured to transmit a trigger signal to the controller in response to detecting a projectile passing through the internal passage; and at least one blue light source, coupled to the controller and configured to excite the projectile when receiving the trigger signal from the controller. The blue light source briefly emits light on the internal passage and emits a peak wavelength in the range 430 nm to 480 nm.

Thus, it is only required to use one kind of light source in the exciter (instead of both ultraviolet rich light and white light). The cost of the lighting components will be lower and less unnecessary energy wasted. Also, unlike the Lighter BT from ACETECH, the user will no longer need to switch between modes and can use green and red BBs at the same time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-1C illustrate an embodiment, when the projectile passes through and away from the exciter to leave a red trail.

FIGS. 2A-2B are exemplary configurations having a tube, an adapter, and a tracer light source supported adjacent said tube.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Please refer to FIG. 1A, an exciter 10 (e.g., Tracer Units Brighter R from ACETECH) may be applied to an airsoft gun 1. When a tracer projectile 4 passes through the interior of exciter 10, exciter 10 briefly emits light on projectile 4 so that projectile 4 continues to glow for a short period after leaving exciter 10 to create the visual effect of laser lights (like the one shown in Star Wars movies).

Tracer units are accessories for toy guns configured in a small, compact volume. The space inside the tracer unit usually can only be installed with a few capacitors. How fast different guns can fire shots may vary between 27 ms to 100 ms. Even the same gun may, via the user’s choice, fire at different time intervals. When a user fires continuously within a short period time, there are dozens or even hundreds of projectiles triggering electronic components of the tracer unit. How to use fewer capacitors to support different colors of tracer BBs and the exciter 10 can still perform well is very important to the manufacturers of tracer units. However, different tracer colors usually require different light sources because each fluorescence material requires a special wavelength of light to efficiently charge it are well known in the art. For example, using UV light source to excite green tracer BBs or using white light that has a color temperature between about 11000 k to 13000 k to excite red tracer BBs.

In experiments, hundreds of setups of variations were measured throughout the experiments, it was found that, when using a blue light source that has a peak wavelength in the range 430 nm to 480 nm, the blue light source can support both green and red tracer BBs and still have great tracer effects in the dark. In the Prior Arts, it took at least two kinds of light sources for both green and red tracer BBs. While using blue light sources which has a special range of wavelength, the cost of the light components will be lower, and users will not need to switch modes when using green and red tracer BBs at the same time.

As shown in FIGS. 1B and 1C, the exciter 10 may include a plurality of tracer light sources 32. The plurality of tracer light sources 32 may be arranged in a row in parallel to a passage 12 and coupled to a controller 14. The plurality of tracer light sources 32, when triggered by a detector 16, flash tracer projectile (e.g., tracer BB, which is infused with material that absorbs lights) as it passes through the passage 12 which makes it light up for a while after leaving the exciter 10. The direction of illumination of the tracer light source 32 is different from the direction of the illumination of a plurality of muzzle-flash sources 18 (proposed in said US11215419B2, coupled to the controller 14 as well). The direction of illumination of said light sources may be perpendicular (but not limited to) to each other. It will perform well as long as different light sources have an angle of more than 45 degrees between each other. The wavelength of the tracer light source 32 may be different (but not limited to) from the wavelength of muzzle-flash source 18.

In one embodiment, the tracer light source 32 may be a blue light emitting component. Especially a one emitting a peak wavelength in the range 430 nm to 480 nm to support both green and red tracer BBs. Thus, when using only a few capacitors to support different colors of tracer BBs, the exciter 10 can still perform well even if a user fires hundreds of shots within a short period time. The foregoing embodiment may be configured to have the internal passage 12 disposed through the exciter 10, wherein an projectile passage extends along the internal passage 12; the detector 16 coupled to a controller 14 and configured to transmit a trigger signal to the controller 14 in response to detecting a projectile passing through the internal passage 12; and at least one blue light source 32, wherein the blue light source 32 configured to excite the projectile passing the internal passage 12, coupled to the controller 14 and emits a peak wavelength in the range 430 nm to 480 nm.

In another embodiment, the tracer light source 32 may be a light source that emits a peak wavelength in the range 450 nm to 460 nm. Hundreds of setups of variations were measured throughout the experiment. It was found that said range may have an even better effect for both green and red tracer BBs.

In certain embodiments, the tracer light source 32 may be a light source that emits a peak wavelength in the range 440 nm to 470 nm. Many setups of variations were measured throughout the experiment. It was found that said range may have a good enough effect for both green and red tracer BBs and the users will no longer need to switch between modes.

In other embodiments, an exciter 10 may be configured to briefly emit light on an internal passage 12 within the interior of said exciter 10 when triggered. The exciter 10 comprises a tube 13 having the internal passage 12 which is disposed of through the exciter 10 and substantially coaligned with projectile passage that extends along the internal passage 12. The exciter 10 also comprises an adapter for easily screwing and coupling the tube to the muzzle of a toy gun so as to substantially coaligned with said passages ; the detector 16 coupled to the controller 14 and configured to transmit trigger signal to the controller 14 in response to detecting a projectile passing through the passage 12; and at least one blue light source 32, coupled to the controller 14 and configured to excite the projectile when receiving the trigger signal from the controller 14. The blue light source 32 emits a peak wavelength in the range 450 nm to 460 nm, 440 nm to 470 nm, or 430 nm to 480 nm.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, the exciter 10 may be configured to be adaptable for use with airsoft guns to excite red tracer BBs to glow. The exciter 10 may comprise the tube 13 having internal passage 12 which is disposed of through the exciter 10 and substantially coaligned with projectile passage that extends along the internal passage 12. The exciter 10 may comprise an adapter 34 (for use with a threaded structure well known in the art and described in U.S. Pat. US5762058A) for coupling the tube 13 to the muzzle of the gun.

The exciter 10 may comprise the tracer light source 32 supported adjacent the tube 13 and arranged to emit light into tube 13. The light source 32 may use components that emit a peak wavelength in the range 450 nm to 460 nm, 440 nm to 470 nm, or 430 nm to 480 nm. Many setups of variations were measured throughout the experiment. It was found that said ranges may have a good enough effect for both green and red tracer BBs and the users will no longer need to switch between modes.

The said embodiments are not limited by any of the details of the description, but rather should be considered broadly within its scope as defined in the appended claims. All changes and modifications that fall within the metes and bounds of the claims are intended to be embraced by the appended claims. 

1. An exciter, adaptable for use with airsoft guns to excite red tracer BBs to glow, comprising a tube; an adapter for coupling said tube to the muzzle of airsoft gun; and a tracer light source supported adjacent said tube and arranged to emit light into said tube, wherein the light source emits a peak wavelength in the range 430 nm to 480 nm.
 2. An exciter, adaptable for use with airsoft guns to excite tracer projectiles to glow, comprising an internal passage disposed through the exciter, a detector coupled to a controller and configured to transmit a trigger signal to the controller in response to detecting a projectile passing through the internal passage, and at least one blue light source, coupled to the controller and configured to excite the projectile when receiving the trigger signal from the controller, wherein the blue light source briefly emits light on the internal passage and emits a peak wavelength in the range 430 nm to 480 nm. 